Commons
Debate
15 April 2026
Strategic Defence Review: Funding
I am on the Armed Forces Bill Committee. We have heard terrible testimony about the state of military housing, but we have also heard that it is already improving. Does the Minister agree that the £9 billion investment that we are making in military housing to deal with the botched privatisation can…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 April 2026
Single Status of Worker
Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the arguments against single worker status is that of flexibility, particularly for young people who want to work seasonally, as happens in my constituency in Cornwall? I therefore ask the Minister to confirm that that option still remains open if a person remai…
Commons
Committee Stage
14 April 2026
Armed Forces Bill (Fifth sitting)
I feel I should say something about this, as I started it. I did so because I consider Falmouth to be the home of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s Bay class ships, as it is where they are maintained and repaired, so the RFA personnel are in great part my constituents.
RFA personnel are fundamental to th…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 April 2026
Middle East
I send my thanks and thoughts to our military personnel, particularly those on the Cornish Merlin that has been supporting our jets to defend British citizens since the Saturday after the conflict started. The strait of Hormuz issue has underlined the massive importance of energy independence in thi…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
Short-term Holiday Lets: Registration
The Minister will be aware that Cornwall has the second highest number of short-term lets in the country, after London. I understand that DCMS has responsibility for the scheme, but will the Minister discuss with his opposite number in DCMS the possibility of uploading things such as fire and safety…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 March 2026
2 contributions
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Craniocervical Instability
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Furniss. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury) for securing this debate, which I have been asked by a number of constituents to attend. I would like to talk specifically about what it is like to live with Ehlers-Danlos …
I understand that the Department will be looking at it further, but will it be looking at it further with the intention to create a pathway for CCI?
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 March 2026
Prison Officers: Mandatory Body Armour
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts. I thank the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) for securing the debate and for writing to tell me it was happening—otherwise I would not have known.
I am here mainly because I have a very good friend who was a prison of…
Commons
Debate
25 March 2026
Nuclear Test Veterans
There is obviously a terrible history going back a number of years of cancers and other illnesses caused by exposure in this case. I wonder whether my hon. Friend would forgive me for raising a similar but more contemporary situation: that of aircrew on military helicopters who are developing blood …
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 March 2026
Public Baths and Lidos
I cannot let a debate on swimming pools go without mentioning Falmouth, which is on a peninsula with sea on three sides. The children of Falmouth have lost the swimming pool, as it was shut by the Conservative council in 2022. We have been campaigning rigorously, including with a petition to this Ho…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 March 2026
Voluntary Groups and Community Centres
Does my hon. Friend agree that for those places that have not yet had Pride in Place funding, bodies such as the National Lottery Community Fund, Sport England, the Arts Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund are also great sources of funding and could be encouraged to do things in a simpler…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 March 2026
Topical Questions
I thank the Minister for his focus on securing UK private investment in critical minerals—it is fantastic to see. I know the Secretary of State agrees that Cornwall is vital for future UK energy security. One test and demo model in the Celtic sea has come forward in auction round 7, but I want to as…
Commons
Committee Stage
24 March 2026
3 contributions
Armed Forces Bill (First sitting)
Will the right hon. Member give way?
I have great sympathy with what the right hon. Member is saying. We face this issue all over the country, particularly in Cornwall. However, he will be aware that the amendment may be out of date soon because the Government are introducing new SEN reforms that will introduce national standards, so h…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 March 2026
2 contributions
Endometriosis Services
I understand exactly what the hon. Member is saying about the waits; the average waiting time for a diagnosis has now gone up to nine years and four months. Where I am from in Cornwall, an endo café has been set up. I went to it once, and it was heartbreaking to be told so many stories about waits f…
indicated assent .
Commons
Debate
23 March 2026
2 contributions
Rail Connections to London: Rural Towns
I wonder whether the hon. Gentleman would spare a thought for those even further south-west—nearly 1 million people in Plymouth and Cornwall struggle when there is a storm that affects their one line in and out of Cornwall. Would the Minister consider Great British Railways, when it is set up, havin…
Of course, superfast satellite wi-fi has been tested on our part of the line. Although we have slow trains, we have the opportunity for fast wi-fi to be rolled out, so that while people will be sat on their trains for five and a half hours, they can at least work or watch a film.
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Heating Oil Support
It is really good to see the Government prioritising people in distress in rural and coastal areas. My question is slightly separate. It is about listed buildings and conservation area properties, and how those people struggle to insulate their homes because of planning rules. Does the Department ha…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
16 March 2026
Topical Questions
The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that it is considering taking the veterans question off the census for 2031. Witnesses before the Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill clearly thought that question provided important data about where our veterans are. Will the Secretary of State…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
Soul Farm, which delivers organic and sustainable food, is an example of a co-operative business in my constituency that benefits its community. I also have the “Save the Stag” campaign in Ponsanooth, which is trying to take over and run the local pub, as has already been done at the Ship Inn at Por…
Commons
Debate
10 March 2026
17 contributions
Extreme Climate and Weather Events: National Resilience
I am a Cornish MP, and we are a people on the edge. With sea on three sides and cut off from England by a river and a precarious train line, we have become used to being at the centre of a world that is a long way from everyone else. That has made us resilient, independent and proud. But being at th…
I agree with the hon. Member. We must prioritise flooding, which is becoming more and more of a risk. Every week when I get on the train—which has often been a bus—from Cornwall to London, I see what looks like a lake or sea, but it is in fact the Somerset levels submerged under floodwater.
+15 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
9 March 2026
Topical Questions
The Secretary of State will know that working in the visitor economy is so good for young people’s confidence. The extensive Cornish hospitality sector would like to be part of the youth guarantee pilot. Will he consider meeting us to discuss that?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 March 2026
Spring Forecast
I welcome the changes to the Green Book to support investment in coastal and rural areas. Can the Chancellor confirm that they will lead to investment in transport infrastructure in places like Cornwall, to support the investment being made in our industries, particularly the £50 million going into …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 February 2026
Business of the House
A number of my constituents have been struggling with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, including several type 1 diabetic HGV drivers who have to renew their class 1 licences on a yearly basis. Every year the DVLA takes three to four months to process those applications. Licences expire, and …
Commons
Oral Questions
House of Commons Commission
26 February 2026
2 contributions
School Visits to Parliament
9. What assessment the Commission has made of the potential merits of prioritising schools that are furthest from Westminster for education visits to Parliament.
I am so pleased that schools furthest from Westminster are going to be prioritised and given time to apply for parliamentary trips. It takes at least six hours to get here from Cornish schools, which means they have to take a number of days in London. That is why their visits are rare and often in t…
Commons
Debate
12 February 2026
2 contributions
Rural Mobile Connectivity
Mobile coverage in my constituency is not good at the best of times. Although we are frequently told by the big four mobile network providers that they have 99% 4G coverage in the UK, including in my constituency, that does not ring true to anyone who, like me, is from Cornwall, and therefore knows …
I agree. Although mobile providers are a category 2 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 framework, they do not have the duties, responsibilities and powers that, say, National Grid or water companies do. There is a strong argument for changing that.
Furthermore, the storm exposed the f…
Commons
Proceedings
12 February 2026
Business of the House
I have several constituents, including victims of violence against women and girls, who have been waiting a year or more for Devon and Cornwall police to respond to their complaints. Will the Leader of the House facilitate a meeting for me and the Policing Minister to discuss the capacity of Devon a…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
Topical Questions
This Government have already invested millions in the future of Cornish industries but they are held back by poor transport links. Our rail link is struggling, and our airport is fragile. Will the Secretary of State confirm that she is committed to transport improvement in Cornwall through Devon?